It’s fair to say that most gardeners are humble people, who are realistic, grounded, and genuine. I consider myself a gardener, and indeed one who sometimes aspires to those qualities. As such, I thought I would share my 2023 Christmas List.
1). A pair of pruners that cannot be misplaced.
2). A shovel that makes me look sexy when I’m digging holes.
3). For a year of perfect weather–no late frosts, early frosts, frosts, drought, bomb cyclones, etc.
4). More gardening books.
5). Time to read my gardening books.
6). For a pruning saw with AI that prevents me from cutting myself.
7). For a world-class garden center to open up next door, immediately go bust, and then be forced to have a huge, blowout, going out of business sale.
8). For one of my roses to sport a blue flower.
9). For a distant uncle I never knew, one without any other heirs, to die and leave me his secret collection of daphnes that grow as easily as dandelions.
10). For another distant uncle to die and leave me his collection of ladies slippers that grow as easily as all my friends who grow them swear they do.
11). For a truck full of new and fantastic epimediums to crash in front of my house and for the cops to ask me to help clean up the mess.
12). For those with anger and hate in their hearts to garden a small plot of vegetables and flowers. To feel the warmth of the sun and breathe the smell of the earth. To be humbled by difficult failures and lifted by simple successes. To marvel at the amazement of germination and growth and see and feel the miracle of life. To have beauty fill their hearts and goodness raise their souls.
Happy Holidays everyone. No matter your faith, or lack thereof, there is still infinite and fantastical mystery in and beyond this beautiful spinning orb on which we all live. Maybe the biggest miracle of all is that there is enough bounty, beauty, and love for everyone if we tend our world as we tend our gardens.